Early July, Chang'an.
Wei Zheng walked alongside several senior ministers, a faint sense of unease settling in his chest.
Since April, His Majesty had been holding court in the Taiji Hall. Summoning the ministers instead to the Ganlu Hall might suggest favor—but no matter how he turned it over in his mind, it still felt… strange.
Wei Zheng quietly reviewed the common ground among those present.
Himself—Director of the Secretariat.
Hou Junji—Grand Chancellor.
Yuchi Jingde—Duke of Wu.
Try as he might, there was no clear pattern. And then there was Yan Liben, a mere Director of Imperial Carriages, included among them. That only deepened the mystery.
Could His Majesty be planning to have the ministers' portraits painted?
It was the only explanation Wei Zheng could come up with.
Upon arriving at the Ganlu Hall, he saw that Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Zhangsun Wuji were already present.
This only strengthened his guess—yet he still couldn't figure out why he was included.
Li Shimin, by contrast, appeared entirely relaxed. These were all veteran officials, men long familiar with one another.
Hou Junji, ever smooth, greeted everyone warmly, then praised His Majesty for personally reviewing criminal cases the previous month—"a true act of benevolence from a sage ruler!"
Li Shimin waved him off, cutting short the flattery, and gestured for everyone to sit.
Several chairs had already been arranged in the Ganlu Hall, all facing a single blank wall.
Yuchi Jingde remained silent as usual. Wei Zheng, however, spoke up:
"Is Your Majesty planning to have us face the wall together and pray for rain?"
He was referring to the political debate in June. Severe drought had struck the provinces, and some ministers had proposed offering prayers at famous mountains and rivers.
A common remedy—but for reasons unknown, the Emperor had forbidden it outright.
The drought remained unresolved, and murmurs of criticism had begun circulating at court.
"The matter of praying for rain will not be discussed again,"
Li Shimin said calmly.
"As for today—my ministers need only watch."
Wei Zheng refused to yield.
"How can it not be discussed? Does Your Majesty intend to ignore the suffering of the people?"
Li Shimin frowned, but replied patiently:
"I have ordered canals dug and wells sunk across the provinces.
Taxes have been reduced in the hardest-hit regions.
How is that ignoring the drought?"
Wei Zheng relented slightly, but still pressed on:
"Even so, Your Majesty must show reverence toward Heaven—"
Li Shimin cut him off, his tone firm.
"Today, I have summoned you to witness true celestial signs and auspicious omens."
Hou Junji's eyes widened. He glanced at Fang, Du, and Zhangsun, then back at the blank wall.
Only then did he notice a book lying open beneath it—though he couldn't make out what kind.
Ignoring Wei Zheng, Li Shimin turned to Yan Liben with a genial smile.
"When the time comes, I ask that you record every important image you see."
The order was vague—but Yan Liben was no fool. He bowed deeply and accepted.
After that brief exchange, the Emperor and his ministers took their seats, staring at the empty wall in silence.
Before long, Hou Junji began to nod off. Wei Zheng couldn't help but suspect that the Emperor was deliberately toying with them.
Even Yuchi Jingde grew impatient.
"What's so special about this wall—eh?
…Wait—what—what is that?!"
Hou Junji jolted awake.
Turning his head, he saw Wei Zheng standing frozen, mouth agape, his face filled with disbelief.
Then he looked forward.
A fissure of light had split open across the wall—and His Majesty was standing before it, excitement blazing across his face as he wrote and drew upon the glowing surface.
Hou Junji turned around.
Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Zhangsun Wuji were all smiling faintly, stroking their beards.
Understanding dawned.
"This… this omen already existed?"
Du Ruhui laughed heartily.
"Duke of Lu, just watch at ease.
Any questions can be asked once it's over!"
Yan Liben finally understood the Emperor's earlier instructions. He immediately raised his brush, intent on capturing the scene.
The shock on the Duke of Wu's face.
The fright of the Duke of Lu.
The knowing smiles of the Duke of Qi and his peers.
And above all—the Emperor, brush in hand, utterly confident before the celestial phenomenon.
All of it etched itself into his mind.
Meanwhile—
Zhuge Liang could not fathom how the light-screen had appeared here.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was that it must not be missed.
"Quickly—bring paper and brushes for everyone!" Kongming shouted.
"Listen and copy everything as it appears!"
Liu Bei issued orders at once:
"Zilong, Yide—seal the government compound with your personal guards.
Until the light-screen ends, no one may enter or leave.
Any violators will be punished under military law!"
Such a lockdown would almost certainly cause unrest—but there was no time to worry about that now.
Liu Ba, Fa Zheng, and Zhang Song were shoved paper and brushes in a daze as Pang Tong instructed them:
"Write down everything you hear.
This is an omen for our lord—and for the Han!"
They might not understand the rest, but they understood the word omen. All three were accustomed to writing, and quickly settled into their task.
After the initial shock faded, curiosity took over.
What kind of omen could this be?
Amid the chaos, Kongming suddenly thought of the magistrate's office at Gong'an.
Had the light-screen disappeared there—or did it exist simultaneously?
He could only hope that Gong Yan and Ji Chang hadn't panicked.
At last, order was restored.
Even Zhang Fei found a brush shoved into his hands.
[Light-Screen]
["Hey hey hey! What's up everyone—this is your educational UP host, Wen Mang!
Last episode—Zhuge Liang and Zhang Yichao—was way too heavy, so today we're keeping things light!
In this episode, you'll see a cross-era dialogue between Cao Cao and Xin Qiji!
You'll learn the Cao family's deepest secrets!
You'll see the true foundation behind the Sima clan's usurpation!
And you'll—ah forget it, I can't even keep this straight. Let's just get started."
PatchNoteEnforcer: "Weekly Mandatory Content, huh? If you'd upload more often, maybe you wouldn't need this gimmick."
ArrowCount404: "Is Ten-Thousand-Arrows Bro finally standing tall today?"
MidTierComparer: "Sure, he's a nobody next to Liu Bei and Cao Cao—but compared to Liu Shan and Cao Pi, he still qualifies as King of Wu!"
DynastyCopium: "I'm crying—you won't even call him Emperor of Wu!"
LegacyDiff: "One uncle borrowed ten thousand arrows—our lord inherited ten thousand troops. Who wins?"
LiteraryFoodie: "Cao Pi: An emperor who doesn't want to be a writer isn't a good foodie."
BlueprintDegenerate: "Cao Rui: An emperor who doesn't want to be an architect isn't a proper womanizer."
ShuAFK: "Liu Shan: Happy in Shu—pass."
HefeiPTSD: "Sun Quan: Hefei—fail."
TimelineSkipper: "Skipping ahead—what nonsense is the UP pulling this time?"
YouthMetaAnalyst: "Sun Ce conquered Jiangdong at twenty-one. Zhou Yu burned Red Cliffs at thirty-three. Ten-Thousand-Arrows Bro lost to Zhang Liao at under thirty."
HotTakeArchivist: "Thus it's said: Jiangdong breeds heroes young."
GiftSender69: "LOL—drop your address, our Great Emperor wants to send you a gift."
"Li Shimin: Marquis Wu… are you watching?"]
That final comment—signed Li Shimin—was so striking that even Kongming looked up at the light-screen.
Could this Li Shimin be real?
Like himself, watching—and leaving messages that could be seen.
If so…
Kongming thought of a way to test it—but for now, he continued observing.
Liu Ba had already regained his composure. Brilliant as ever, he blurted out:
"My lord—those financial policies—"
"Written by Kongming himself, after observing the light-screen,"
Liu Bei explained.
In just a few words, everyone understood: this vision came from centuries in the future.
Fa Zheng immediately leaned forward.
"If the future is known—did I, Fa Xiaozhi, ever become one of the Three Excellencies?"
Pang Tong smiled gently.
"No."
"Then was I enfeoffed as a marquis?"
Pang Tong thought for a moment.
"Probably not… but that's not important."
"Why not?"
"Because you have about ten years left to live."
Pang Tong sighed, as if regretful.
Fa Zheng's lips trembled.
"Ten years?"
Even ten years later, he'd only be forty-five. How could he die so young?
Zhang Fei frowned.
"Strategist Pang—if he lives ten more years, that's still longer than you, isn't it?"
Pang Tong's face instantly flushed red.
"I die for my lord's great cause—on the battlefield!"
Zhang Fei fell silent, his face reddening as well.
Zhang Song and Liu Ba exchanged glances. They could read the mood well enough.
Best not to ask about our own endings.
Fa Zheng, however, recovered quickly.
If Pang Tong—shorter-lived than himself—could face it so calmly, then fate was not unchangeable.
And if fate could be changed—what was there to fear?
His gaze burned as he stared at the light-screen.
A true omen… does this not mean Heaven still favors the Han?
Fa Xiaozhi would not merely revive the prestige of the Fufeng Fa clan.
He would surpass his ancestors.
He no longer wanted to say, "My grandfather was Fa Zhen."
He wanted others to say—
"So you're Fa Xiaozhi!"
Back in the Ganlu Hall, the ministers reclined in silence.
Hou Junji remained reserved, withholding judgment.
Yuchi Jingde watched quietly, memorizing every word.
Only Yan Liben worked feverishly, sketching with excitement—today was worth a lifetime.
Wei Zheng hesitated, then spoke:
"Your Majesty… the words on this light-screen seem somewhat irreverent."
Li Shimin smirked.
"These are voices from centuries in the future—laughing, judging history."
"I may rule the Great Tang—but I have no power over later ages."
Wei Zheng stared, stunned.
Hou Junji, however, asked with interest:
"How many years after Tang is this future?"
Li Shimin answered flatly:
"Tang prospers for a hundred years.
Falls into chaos for another hundred.
Then it ends."
Hou Junji froze.
Zhangsun Wuji stepped in gently:
"After Tang came Song, then Ming… and something called Qing.
Only after all that does this era appear."
Then he raised his voice.
"But the light-screen praises His Majesty as a peerless emperor!"
"It calls our age the High Tang—vast lands, a century of prosperity!"
Expressions flickered across the ministers' faces.
Wei Zheng stood frozen, staring at Li Shimin—eyes wide with disbelief.